


Wild Child

by silver_drip



Series: Spiraling 'verse [12]
Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Child Abuse, Drawing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 23:08:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4367846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_drip/pseuds/silver_drip
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Fanfiction_Queen, your comment from chapter 24 inspired this.</p>
<p>Temul=Best Beta Ever.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Wild Child

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FanFiction_Queen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFiction_Queen/gifts).



> Fanfiction_Queen, your comment from chapter 24 inspired this.
> 
> Temul=Best Beta Ever.

* * *

There were twenty-seven schematics and only twenty-three blank pieces of parchment. Four schematics had already been copied perfectly. The pen Tony was holding almost looked comical in his small hand. He was sweating and his ribs hurt. He blinked furiously before carefully setting aside the pen to wipe his hands off on his pants. He had to concentrate.

Tony’s left hand was spasming again. He could feel the fresh breaks grinding together in three of his fingers. Thankfully he was ambidextrous. He had to be.

“Please stop it,” Tony whispered both to his hand and to his mother. He knew she couldn’t hear him though, not over her muffled sobs.

Tony glanced to the side kicking his feet back and forth, still too short to reach the floor. Under the doorway he could see the shadow of his mother.

Tony took in a shaky breath before turning back to the schematics he was copying. He was so thirsty, but after he accidently knocked over his drink onto one of the puzzles he was supposed to solve his father never allowed him drinks until he completed whatever task was set in front of him.

He picked up the pen while resting his other hand in his lap. It had to be perfect. Howard would know if he just traced the images.

This time it was a watch, but it had so many gears. He was used to those though. It was drawing the balance spring that was the difficult part. The curves had to be a perfect spiral. The spiral’s engraved runes were so fine and had to line up with the rest of the watch. On each tooth of a gear was engraved half a rune, coming together with other gears to continuously cast a myriad of spells. It looked so delicate…

He couldn’t concentrate though. His mother’s constant sobs were too distracting. He could hear her periodically reach up and try to open the locked door.

Tony wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t have time. He had to concentrate. If he didn’t, things would only get worse.

Tony continued working on copying the schematics.

His mother’s sobs suddenly halted and Tony froze, dread filling him. That could only mean—

He let out a sigh of relief when she began crying again. As much as he hated hearing her cry he knew that silence meant Howard was near. Tony wiped away more sweat from his face while trying to swallow. Hunger was gnawing at him.

“Tony,” his mother called out to him for the thousandth time.

“Please stop.” Tony squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block everything out.

When he opened them again he let out a strangled sob. A single drop of sweat had fallen on the edge of the parchment. Tony dropped his pen and reached for it. His hands fretted back and forth over it, not knowing what to do. If he wiped it away it might leave a stain. He didn’t know any spells just for drying. He could try creating a simple flame, but that ran the risk of catching it on fire.

He had to do something—

If Howard saw—

“Stop it,” he whispered. He couldn’t cry. If he did he wouldn’t be able to see. If he couldn’t see he couldn’t draw. If he couldn’t draw Howard would get mad and when Howard was mad everything hurt.

Tony didn’t have time to think about this. He didn’t have time to wait for the sweat to dry. He didn’t have time to take a rest.

He wanted to tell his mother he was okay, to stop crying, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to say the words without his voice breaking.

The drawing had to be perfect, but he’d already ruined it.

Tony clenched his hands, letting out a startled yelp, having forgotten that his left hand was injured. It caused his mother to only cry harder, making him feel like his chest was being crushed.

He was too drained of magic to try to heal his hand.

Earlier Howard had kept throwing spheres of dark magic at him which Tony could only barely block with his red shield. Howard hit a weak spot on the shield and Tony was hit in the jaw. He blacked out and woke up in here.

There had been two stacks of parchment and no instructions, yet he knew exactly what he was supposed to do.

“Mommy…” His eyes were starting to blur with tears. He had to get back in control of himself. He hadn’t even started on copying the runes, which was the most difficult part.

This was too difficult. He wasn’t even 600 yet.

Everything hurt.

He didn’t understand why his father kept testing him, pushing him, hitting him.

Tony was doing his best.

Why wasn’t that enough?

 


End file.
